There are some Goans who create the carnival magic in Mumbai
The time has come to take Goa and paint it red, yellow,green and orange. It’s the time of the year when Goans come together to host aCarnival and then set aside meat for forty days. A lot of Goans from Mumbaihail to Goa to celebrate these parades that are held from one end of the Stateto another. But there are some Goans who create the same magic in Mumbai; on aconsiderably smaller scale though. This group that started such events waschristened as the Goan Outreach Association in 1961 and progressed with 20families.
“Over the years, the Goan Outreach Association (G.O.A.) hasgrown to nearly 1000 families,” says Sebastian Sequeira, President, G.O.A. “Wetry to replicate all events that take place in Goa – be it cultural orreligious, and carnival is one of them. The carnival includes a lot of food,fun and entertainment and is celebrated prior to the commencement of Lent,” headds.
In previous years, carnival floats have been themed ontopics like environment to Bollywood. The best part about this day is thatparticipants get a chance to bag prizes so the effort doesn’t go down thedrain. This year, prizes will be given to the best fancily dressed person, besthead gear/ cap/ hat, best dancer and best mask/ face/ body painting. Apart fromthis there will be a lot of spot prizes and the best float display will win abumper cash prize of Rs 10,000.
The evening will also include dinner clubbed with live bandsperforming to seduce everyone to stay on the dance floor. The float parade willleave from Holy Cross junction, Kurla at 3:30 pm on February 10, 2013. Theevening at Fatima Church ground, Kirol, Vidhyavihar will feature entertainment,games and dance from 6 pm onwards.
G.O.A was started in 1961 with the aim of bringing togetherGoan families in the far eastern suburbs of Mumbai. After celebrating the feastof St. Francis Xavier that year, they drafted a memorandum for all Goans inthat vicinity so that they could all come together under one roof and celebratetheir culture and traditions, annually.
Initially, these celebrations took place on the roof top ofthe then President, Mr. Furtado. Gradually, the epidemic of fun loving and easygoing nature spread in the area and started to get recognized by the nearbyparishes that eventually extended their support and permitted them to organizeevents in church premises.
Today, G.O.A comprises around 1000 families and is expectedto grow threefold. This association’s motto is to share the Goan culture,invite new members to become associates of the group and to reach out to thesociety at large by contributing positively towards social issues. G.O.A.strongly aims at inculcating the traditional roots in all Goan families inMumbai.
